Smoke ring (OUAH)
by J-Farraday
Summary: When Gaster resorts to a cigarette, his girlfriend Patty wants to know what's bothering him that much. But Gaster refused to tell her and the two have an argument. Patty's upset that Gaster is keeping some secret from her. What could it possibly be?


**If you haven't read my "Once Upon A Handplate" AU fanfic, you'll be kinda confused. Most of characters you see in here are my OCs from that story. Sam and Piper are Gaster's adoptive (human) children, while Noelle is their biological mom. Patty (a cat monster) is Gaster's girlfriend. The Gaster here is one from "Handplates". I know his behaviour and lifestyle might appear OOC, but that's because his complex emotional journey happened in my OUAH fanfic, lol. Anyway, this short story takes place one year after the end of OUAH. ...Enjoy?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gaster. He belongs to Toby Fox (and to Zarla, to some extent). I own just own my OCs.**

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Gaster exhaled longly and shakily, blowing out a cloud of smoke from the depth of his ribcage. Holding the almost finished cigarette, Gaster leaned against a tree, closing his eyes. He forgot that sensation of relief that smoking provided. As he hoped, it helped him. After one last inhaling, followed by a progressive exhaling, Gaster got rid of the cigarette remaining. With a sigh, the skeleton looked up at the clear blue sky. He wasn't proud of himself for resorting to his former nasty habit. But Gaster was really nervous, and smoking was the only way he knew to calm down his nerves. Yet again, it was just for this one time… Picking up a bag of purchases from the ground, Gaster walked in the direction of his home. He arrived within minutes. When he took care to stow the purchases, Gaster went out in the garden to greet Sam and Piper. The two were playing badminton. Sam was the first to notice his father, so he smiled and walked to him. Piper quickly followed her brother.  
"You got what you needed?" - Sam asked.  
"Yes, I did. Materially, I'm now ready." - Gaster confirmed - "Emotionally, however…"  
"You aren't having doubts, are you?" - Piper asked in concern.  
"No, no, I'm not. I'm just… a little nervous." - the father replied.  
"Understandable." - Piper nodded.  
"But relax, Dad. It's gonna be fine." - Sam reassured the skeleton.  
Gaster smiled at his son in response and after talking with his children some more, he headed back inside. He went upstairs and then to the bathroom, as he had to get rid of the cigarette smell. While Gaster was brushing his teeth, he could hear the front door open and close downstairs. This meant that Patty was back home. The thought of her made Gaster's SOUL flutter. It wasn't long after when Gaster went down in the living room, where he saw Patty quickly browsing through her sketchbook.  
"Did the meeting go well?" - Gaster asked his girlfriend, startling her a little.  
"...Yes, it went alright." - Patty replied, though her eyes avoided his for a moment - "My sketches and some of my finished works convinced the publisher. He says my style looks nice enough for the book."  
"That's excellent news." - Gaster said as he approached Patty and took her hands in his own - "It took you a while to find an interested publisher, but now you did. I knew you could do it. You are very talented, after all."  
"Thanks… Though, I've often got remarks that I maybe should get familiarized with digital methods." - Patty replied with a thoughtful look - "I maybe should take some online lessons..?"  
"If you're really interested, we can buy you a tablet next month." - Gaster suggested.  
"Really?"  
"Yes. I'll help you chose a model that responds the best to your needs." - the skeleton confirmed with a smile.  
"That's so nice of you. Thank you." - Patty smiled back.  
But her smile soon dropped, and the cat monster looked down. By the look in her eyes, Gaster could tell that something was bothering her. Lying one hand on her shoulder, Gaster asked with a concerned tone:  
"You look upset. Is everything alright, Patty?"  
"I... Well, not really."  
"Why? Did something else happen during your trip?"  
"In a way, yes." - Patty paused for a short time, before asking on her turn - "But is everything alright __for you__, Gaster?"  
"Yes? Why would anything be wrong?" - the skeleton replied with a confused expression.  
Biting her lip, Patty then decided to go straight to the point. Looking into Gaster's eyesockets, Patty stated matter-of-factly:  
"I saw you smoking earlier."  
A pause. Gaster's SOUL tightened. __"Damn."__ He wasn't expected to be caught smoking, and not by Patty, out of all people. This wasn't good. Before Gaster could process what to say, Patty spoke again.  
"I descended from the bus and I wanted to pass by the bookstore, to see if there was anything new… and then, from across the street I saw you." - she explained - "Naturally, I wanted to go to you, but then I saw what you were doing. At first, I wondered if I wasn't mistaken. But there's no way to mistake you with anyone else… I was kinda shocked, and I decided to leave you be for the moment. So, I... kept going my way to the store. But all I could think of was you smoking."  
Patty stopped, fidgetting her fingers. She wasn't sure how to pursue, since she hadn't fully processed how she felt about it yet. Sighing with an expression of regret, Gaster admitted:  
"...You're right. I did smoke a cigarette earlier."  
"But why..? I thought you quit smoking even before we met?" - Patty asked - "So you're relapsing..?"  
"No, I'm not relapsing..!" - Gaster hurried to say - "I... It was a one-time thing. I just... really needed to calm my nerves. Even though I don't have those, technically."  
"What made you so stressed, then? What happened so you'd resort to a cigarette?"  
"It's... nothing." - Gaster averted his gaze - "No big deal, don't worry about it."  
"If it's no big deal, then why would you want to smoke that much?" - Patty asked, crossing her arms - "If it's nothing, you can surely just tell me what it is, right?"  
Gaster felt trapped. There was no way he could just tell Patty what made him want a smoke.  
"I... I can't." - he said a bit shakily - "I'm sorry."  
"You can't? But of course you can! You know you can tell me anything, right?" - Patty reminded him with patience - "I know, you struggle at opening up when you have problems, but I've already told you that there's nothing wrong sharing them with me. I won't judge, whatever it is. I'd be only happy to help. So what's going on, Gaster? What's bothering you so much?"  
Gaster could tell by Patty's expression that she was concerned for him and that she wanted to help him. The look in her eyes was almost pleading. Patty didn't like when Gaster was upset or anxious, so she wouldn't easily give up on getting an answer. But Gaster couldn't comply to her request. Not this time.  
"I wish I could just tell you, but I can't." - Gaster replied - "But trust me when I say there's nothing __wrong__."  
"So you insist on not sharing your worries?" - Patty sighed, shaking her head - "I thought we went past this stage already. Looks like I've been delusional. You still refuse to fully open up to me."  
"It has nothing to do with that, Patty. I trust you more than anyone..!" - Gaster said nervously, his hands starting to shake.  
"If you did, you'd have no trouble telling me what that cigarette was about." - Patty replied, looking away from him.  
"It was just one cigarette..! I swear I am not smoking again, if __that__'s your main concern."  
"You're just avoiding my question, Gaster... My concern isn't the smokes, but your inner wellbeing!"  
"But since I'm telling you that I'm fine-"  
"No, you're not!" - Patty snapped - "Your whole body's shaking right now! How is that being 'fine'?"  
Gaster indeed was shaking, uncontrollably. Not hard enough to rattle, but still. Even when Gaster realized it, he couldn't fully stop it, as his fingers held a dead grip on his own arms. He looked at Patty, and his magic hands signed frantically while he spoke:  
"Patty, I... This isn't... this isn't what you think, I... I want to tell you, I really do. But... but I just... __can't__."  
"...I see..." - Patty sighed sadly - "__You can't__, huh..? That's the only answer I'll ever get to this, won't I?"  
"Listen, I..."  
"No, I think... I think I got it." - Patty said as tears filled her eyes - "Am __I__ the problem, Gaster? Were you smoking because of me?"  
"...N-No."  
"You hesitated..!" - Patty gasped - "So it __was__ because of me..!"  
"Patty, please calm down..." - Gaster reached a shaky hand towards her, but Patty stepped away with a hurt expression.  
"Is that why you won't tell me? Because you've had enough of me and don't know how to end our relationship?" - Patty asked with a broken voice - "Is that it..?"  
Gaster was shocked that Patty would think that, but there were no words he could think of that would contradict her thoughts. The only way would be just tell her the truth, but... it wasn't an option. Not right then.  
"That's not true... I don't want to end our relationship... ever. __Please__, believe me about this."  
Another moment of silence passed, before Patty shakily wiped away a tear that slid down her cheek. She didn't feel well, she needed to be alone. Even though she was willing to believe Gaster, she could tell that he was hiding something from her. And it hurt her.  
"I... I need some space..." - Patty walked in the direction of the door.  
"Where are you going..?"  
"Somewhere I can think..." - Patty mumbled, as she unlocked the door.  
"What's going on?" - Sam's voice suddenly startled the couple.  
"You're not leaving, are you?" - Piper asked in panic.  
The twins were standing at the doorframe that separated the kitchen and the living room. They had just finished having fun outside and they obviously had heard a part of the couple's exchange. Both Sam and Piper had alarmed expressions. Patty gave them a soft, yet watery smile and reassured them.  
"Don't worry, I'm not leaving as in 'leaving'. I just... need some time alone." - she said, then gave a side glance at Gaster - "Since your father doesn't seem to want talk to me anyway."  
Patty said those words with a shaky voice, as though she was right about to cry. Before Gaster could ask Patty to not go, the cat monster opened the door and closed it behind her. Gaster stood there in the unbearable silence, under the stares of his adoptive children. Then, feeling as though his SOUL ached, Gaster sat down on the couch, burying his face in one of his hands. He was damning that cigarette, as well as himself for smoking it. __"Ha... Asgore had warned me smoking would do me no good..."__ \- he thought - __"Looks like he was right..."__  
"Dad? Can you explain what happened in here?" - Sam asked his father - "Did you have a fight?"  
"Yes... You can word it that way..." - Gaster replied quietly.  
"But why? Why would you argue __now__?" - Piper asked, upset - "That's not how things were supposed to go..!"  
"I know... It's my fault." - Gaster sighed, before looking at his children, intending to tell them what happened - "You see..."

A couple of hours passed since the unpleasant exchange between Patty and Gaster. At first, the cat monster spent her time wandering around in the park, hoping its calm vibes would make her feel better. It wasn't much of a success, since Patty couldn't prevent some tears from falling. After some time, she decided she's had enough and decided to go to Grillby's, to have some nice drink. And there she was now, sitting at a table and savouring her second glass of pisang orange cocktail. (Patty ordered the alcohol-free version, since alcohol wasn't recommanded due to her condition.) But even the pleasant taste of the sweet mixture didn't help her. Patty was absently stirring the straw in the half-emptied glass, when a worried Noelle rushed towards her.  
"Hey... I came as fast as I could. My baby sister was a bit fussy, my poor parents are exhausted..." - Noelle said, before sitting opposite to her - "Now, tell me. Did something happen? You sounded upset on the phone."  
Some new tears fell down Patty's cheeks and that was all Noelle needed to go sit next to Patty. Concerned, Noelle handed her a handkerchief she pulled out of her handbag, saying:  
"Hey, hey, no need for that..! It's all gonna be okay, alright? Just tell me what happened."  
"Gaster and I kinda got in a fight..." - Patty replied, wiping away her tears - "Well, not really a fight, more like a... disagreement?"  
"Hm, that's curious." - Noelle frowned, but when Patty gave her a curious look, she added - "I mean, I'm curious what triggered this?"  
It was a strange way to ask what happened, Patty noted. But she ignored it, and decided to explain.  
"Well... I confronted Gaster about something, and he stubbornly refused to explain himself." - she said.  
"You know that Gaster isn't one who easily opens up..." - Noelle pointed out.  
"Yes, but with me, he's different. Or so I thought." - Patty said sadly before taking another sip of her cocktail.  
"What is that you're drinking? Isn't it a pisang?" - Noelle asked and after Patty nodded, she requested Grillby to bring her the same thing - "So, about Gaster. You say he doesn't want to share something with you?"  
"Yes... I know something's on his mind and that he's not telling me... I've often told him that I'm okay listening his worries. I thought he relaxed around me, that he felt secure..." - Patty explained sadly - "I thought Gaster __trusts__ me. We've been together for a year, after all. But now I wonder if it wasn't too long for him... if I'm being too much."  
"Patty, don't be silly!" - Noelle exclaimed - "You're definitely not 'too much' for Gaster. He loves you and wants to be with you."  
Grillby brought the pisang orange mix, which Noelle accepted hushing a "thanks". When the bartender walked away, Patty asked Noelle:  
"How can you be so sure? I thought Gaster was awkward discussing his love life with you."  
"Oh, he sure is." - Noelle confirmed, before sipping her drink - "But I just know. After knowing love deception, I can tell when a guy's truly in love and when not."  
The two women then both took another sip of their drinks, before Noelle asked Patty what in Gaster's behavior made her confront him. Patty told her how she saw Gaster smoke and how he refused to tell her his reasons.  
"I just wanted to know what's bothering him so I could help, but Gaster was just stubbornly repeating that 'he couldn't' tell me." - Patty said, air-quoting the last part.  
"And then you grew upset and left the house. Correct?" - Noelle guessed.  
"Almost... Before that, I asked him if I was the reason he was smoking..." - Patty went on - "I mean, if he smoked a cigarette instead of confiding to me, it surely means I am who's troubling him, right..?"  
"That was your conclusion? What did he answer when you asked?" - Noelle raised an eyebrow in curiosity.  
"When I asked if he was smoking because of me, he said 'no'. ...But he hesitated."  
Noelle got a thoughtful expression and her green eyes quickly got a glimmer of realization. Or at least, that was how it seemed. As Patty was staring at her friend with expectation, Noelle quickly put on a patient smile and said:  
"You know, you shouldn't jump to conclusions so hastily. Maybe you misunderstood."  
"You're saying that because I have schyzophrenia..." - Patty looked down.  
"No! No, on the contrary!" - Noelle said, gently squeezing one purple hand in hers - "You can see beyond what first meets the eye, so you should consider that maybe... Gaster had a reason to not tell, other that he no longer cares for you."  
"You... You're right... I maybe concluded it too hastily..." - Patty muttered with a pensive look.  
"You should give Gaster a chance." - Noelle said - "Who knows, maybe he'll tell you even sooner than you think."  
"I'm just upset that he didn't trust me..." - Patty replied - "Oh Noelle, but what if I was right and he no longer loves me?"  
"Just... give him a chance, okay? Trust me on this one." - Noelle said, with a shadow of a smile.  
Patty nodded, finally smiling. Soon after, she paid for her drinks and walked out of the restaurant back to her home. When she arrived, the living room was empty and it was a bit too silent in the house. Patty wondered if everyone was on their bedrooms. She decided to go upstairs to check if Gaster wasn't in their room, but something caught her eyes from the big window. The cat monster walked closer to the window and gasped at what she saw. Patty walked out in the garden, with a look of wonder on her face. Her golden eyes were shining and she had a big smile on her face that she had no control over. The tree in their garden had been decorated! Many white and silver ribbons were tied on the branches, long chains of white beads were hanging across the green leaves, and there were red heart-shaped garnements hanging like apples. The usually ordinary tree now looked as though it was from some fairytale land.  
"So beautiful..." - Patty breathed out.  
"I'm glad you like it." - Gaster said, stepping out.  
"You really did this? For me?" - Patty turned to him, smiling widely, almost forgetting the quarrel.  
"I remembered you mentioning how you used to decorate a tree in summer." - Gaster replied walking closer to Patty - "So I thought it maybe would cheer you up."  
"Thank you, Gaster... It's truly amazing." - Patty said with a smile, before looking down - "About earlier... I may have overreacted. You probably have valid reasons for not sharing what's bothering you, and I was wrong to pressure on you. I'm sorry for that. I will be patient until you're ready to open up."  
Gaster stepped closer to Patty and gently cupped her face. When Patty looked up at him, Gaster said quietly:  
"No, I'm sorry for making you worry by smoking."  
Patty then wrapped her arms around Gaster, who then did the same. They stood in a comforting embrace for a moment, before Gaster pulled away, giving his girlfriend a long stare. This worried Patty a little, because she couldn't read his expression. What was he thinking?  
"Patty, you won't need wait much longer to know why I was so nervous... I was planning to do it tomorrow, but now feels right."  
"But you don't have to, I told you I can wait." - Patty protested.  
Gaster shook his head and then, after pausing for a moment, he rested his hands on Patty's shoulders, rubbing them gently. His touch was gentle, yet a little nervous.  
"You weren't totally wrong when you thought I smoked because of you." - he said.  
"W-What...?" - Patty's eyes widened in fear.  
"You made me nervous to crave for a cigarette... but not in the way you think." - Gaster clarified - "It's not because I've had enough of you or of our relationship, but because I don't want it to ever end. I actually want to make our bond even stronger. Make it __sacral__."  
"What do you mean..?" - Patty asked with a now confused look.  
"I've been thinking about this for some time now... You're very special to me, and I can't picture my life without you. I... I'm not good at romantic speeches, so I'll... just get to the point." - Gaster said nervously.  
With a shaking hand, Gaster searched an item in his pocket before pulling it out. Patty gasped when she saw that it was a small jewerly box. Gaster opened it, revealing a beautiful ring with a diamond, then took Patty's hand in his own and asked __the__ question:  
"Patty, will you marry me?"  
For a moment that felt like an eternity, Patty was absolutely speechless. Her mind usually being too active seemed to just stop working. Patty couldn't seem to remember what was the word to accept. But soon, as she recovered from her daze, she looked into Gaster's eye sockets through her tears, and breathed out:  
"Yes..."  
Relieved and happy, Gaster let out a sigh and, with a smile on his face, slid the ring on Patty's finger. The cat woman then wrapped her arms around her beloved and the two shared a kiss full of love and tenderness. They remained in that embrace for a while, their mouths barely parting. Though, Patty just couldn't stop her tears. Gaster then pulled away, and started to wipe away the tears from her face. But Patty then burried her face into Gaster's turtleneck, sobbing.  
"I'm so happy, Gaster... So happy... And... I'm sorry..." - she said.  
"Sorry? Why?"  
"I almost ruined everything with my behavior..." - she replied as she kept crying.  
"Hey, look at me." - Gaster requested and after a short moment, Patty looked up at him - "You didn't ruin anything. I proposed to you a day earlier, but that's even better. And it happened under this fairytale-like tree."  
"It's true that it's nice..." - Patty chuckled - "Aw Gaster, so that's why you've been smoking? You were nervous about the proposal?"  
"Yes, very nervous. I admit that smoking wasn't the best way to deal with it, but... Well, now that you said 'yes', let's not think about it, alright?" - Gaster suggested.  
"I'm glad that it was nothing bad after all... And here I thought you grew tired of me... that I became a burden to you."  
"You are never a burden to me, Patty." - Gaster said seriously, but then cupped her face - "If I made the choice to make my home yours, it was because I knew you'd make me happy. And you've made me feel this way only."  
"But sometimes I can be such a trouble... Like that one time when I accidently put one of your white shirts in the red laundry, and it turned pink after the washing..." - Patty recalled the incident with a bashful look.  
"It was an accident, and it was no big deal. I love you, and it's not silly things like this that will change my feelings for you." - Gaster said, running his fingers long Patty's blond hair - "You have special needs and I accept that. You can be foolish, but that's one of the reasons why I love you."  
"Gaster... I love you too, and I'm so happy you're in my life." - Patty's eyes got filled with tears once more.  
Instead of trying to wipe away her tears, Gaster just leaned closer and kissed Patty again. Progressively, the loving embrace and kiss calmed Patty down. After several long minutes of kissing near the decorated tree, the couple reluctantly parted and Gaster suggested to get back inside and bring the news to the kids. When the two walked inside, they were surprised to see Sam and Piper sitting on the couch with expecting looks.  
"So? Did she say yes?" - Piper asked.  
"I did." - Patty replied, showing the ring shining on her finger.  
"This means you're almost officially our stepmom!" - Sam commented.  
"Yes! I'm so glad to truly be part of the family now." - Patty said with a large smile.  
"You already were, Patty." - Piper replied.  
Sam and Piper then ran to Patty, who hugged them both tightly. The kids were glad that Gaster and Patty made up and that Patty accepted their father's proposal. Gaster was watching his girlfriend... no, his __fiancée__, hug his children, unaware that his eyes were glowing green. He then approached the three and said:  
"You know Patty, Sam and Piper actually helped me in decorating that tree."  
"Really?" - Patty asked - "Aw, that was nice of you, kids."  
"Well, we had to be done before you returned." - Sam pointed out with a shy shrug - "Glad it did the trick."  
"Sam, romantic gestures aren't some 'tricks'!" - Piper protested with an outraged look.  
"Sorry, sorry..!" - Sam raised his hands defensively - "It was just a way of speaking..."  
"I think it was a poor wording." - Piper shook her head.  
Patty giggled and Gaster chuckled at the bickering. Gaster then brought Patty closer to him again and said quietly:  
"You make me truly happy Patty, just like do Sam and Piper. I hope that you'll never forget that."  
"No, never." - Patty shook her head with a smile - "I promise."  
Gaster hugged her, while Patty rested her head against his chest. While still bickering a little, the twins went upstairs to give the adults some privacy. The couple didn't even notice that it became more silent in the room, since they were again like on their own little cloud.

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**A/N: It was such an emotional trip for me writing this! I could've written something simplier and the proposal story being pure fluff, but then I came up with the idea that despite Gaster quit smoking, he'd still do it once again in nervousness of the idea to propose to his girlfriend. I think it would be in his character. After everything he went through, you can't really blame him for this mistake.**

**You may think that Patty overreacted, but it's just that she has some insecurities too. Patty wonders sometimes if she hadn't been a burden to her parents who had to bear her schyzophrenia case, and she definitely doesn't want to be one for Gaster. Patty doesn't let her mild insecurity ruin her life, but this time it was about the man she truly loves, so she got a bit scared. **

**But thank goodness it all ended okay! :)**


End file.
